Hidden Angels
by Silverblacktears
Summary: Harper meets a mysterious woman, who also happens to be his saviour ... but what's her hidden secret?
1. Default Chapter

Title -  
  
Disclaimer - Andromeda is theirs, Illithan and new races mine, if you want to use this fic for any reason, this includes hitting people in the head with and using it as a chew toy, then please ask.  
  
Rating - 15, simply put I read it with my sister and I don't think she entirely got it, if your under 15, feel free to tell me what you think and what you thought it meant. American rating? PG-13 I guess.  
  
~*~*~  
  
The stitch wore its way up his side, corrupting his thoughts as it throbbed in his chest; from behind the dogs barking persuading him to go on despite the fatigue. A shot rang into the night and he cursed, 'typical. Get yourself separated on a planet where they use propulsion weapons.' He tugged at the meds around his neck and drew from it as the back of his throat caught and he coughed.  
  
A hand grabbed him by the shirt and he yelped as it went to his mouth; he found his head nestled close to a woman's chest and chanced a glance up to her face but it was masked by shadows. "Silence," she hissed, the breath lingering between her teeth. Outside the scent hounds snuffled and he became aware of something masking their scent somehow.  
  
The hounds moved away, his helper let him go, and walked into the darkness behind them both. "Hey hold up I owe you one."  
  
"No you do not, those guys would have torn you apart."  
  
"You saved my life."  
  
She turned to him. She was a striking woman, with long dark purple hair and a strange oriental beauty to her eyes, which were a deep brown colour. He was quick to note the pointed cat like ears that were clear on her head and they flicked listening for sound. She wore a long silvery blue coat that hung to the floor and he could not see what she wore beneath it. 'Hopefully nothing,' He found himself thinking and she looked to him sharply. "That may be, but it is my policy. I save those who are chased by those I hate!"  
  
"Right."  
  
He had not meant to sound so cynical. She moved away from him further into the warehouse. "What, so that's it? You save my ass and then you leave me here alone? Well thanks, knowing my luck you'll be saving me in a few minutes. Cut out the middle man, take me with you."  
  
As she moved back to him, he noticed that her practical shoes were without heels. She stopped in front of him. "Do not think that I am one to be messed with Seamus!" This caught him by surprise and he unknowingly stepped back from her, "I know your name, I know more of you then you think - do not trouble me."  
  
She continued on, leaving him standing there alone. A pain in his stomach doubled him over and his hand searched for the medication usually about his neck. Unable to find it there he looked around on the ground. "Wait!" He shouted after the woman. "Please I need your help!"  
  
The woman faltered in her steps, before backtracking to him. He looked up to her from where he was on his knees. "Your medication is just under your ankle, but you do not need it, it is not your Magog that cause you pain. How can you expect to have run so far and yet not hurt?" He stopped mid panicked breath and noticed that she was right. "You are a man of rapid deductions; do not rule out what you may not believe."  
  
She moved away from him once more. A bark down a nearby street made him start and he was quickly on his feet again. He looked about for a time knowing the woman had disappeared and yet knowing she was still there. 'Must be the Harper charm' He thought cockily.  
  
In the deepened shadow, Illithan snorted slightly, wondering how a man with a past such as his could think such. Yet she could not leave him alone yet, something inside him called for her attention, and something within his soul made her want to talk to him again. She stayed where she was because she knew no one ever wanted her around when they discovered the truth of who she was.  
  
"I know your there."  
  
His voice reached where she sat on the rafters. "I am waiting," she told him simply. "It was inconvenient that you were almost caught where you were." He craned his neck to look at her and she looked back down at him. To her, his pale face seemed to glow slightly in the moon light that just escaped the ceilings grasp.  
  
"I know what you are too."  
  
This shook her slightly and she found herself staring at him for a long moment before dropping her eyes. "Is that so? Then why do you continue to stand there?"  
  
He lent casually against a wall support, "Because I'm not dead yet." He told her logically. "If you were a proper Shalench then I wouldn't be breathing right now, unless of course you're not keen on the taste of Magog," He referred to her races off world name. Illithan came from a species divided on their home planet into a variety of cultures, yet off worlders held the common view of her kind as a whole; a murderous bloodthirsty race, often hired as assassins and mercenaries. "So, I guess Harper meat isn't on the menu."  
  
"I am not a Shalench."  
  
"No? Then you do a very good impression of one, you'll have to tell me how you managed that teleport."  
  
"You hold the common misconception of my kind, but I cannot inform you better. I must leave."  
  
She used another teleport to land on the ground, unable to use the ability over great distances and walked calmly away from him. He watched her, drawn by her beauty and her poise, 'Man, she's incredible.' He found himself thinking. 'And she can read my thoughts too.'  
  
"Yes, I can but there is not a lot there."  
  
Her barb at him made him stop. He had been about to leave through the door she had pulled him through. "That's not fair," He pouted slightly. "What did I ever do to you?" He held his hands out in innocence and she found herself drawn to him somehow, she pulled back slightly. "Well this sucks I come down to this planet, get chased by the cops, then get saved by some random Shalench chick and then get insulted."  
  
"You missed your little episode with the larvae."  
  
"I have no idea where Dylan, Beka, Trance, or Rommie are and it's raining cats and dogs. I don't think this could get much worse."  
  
She glared at him, the brown eyes suddenly looking chilling and cold. "Never say such things. Never, ever say that thinks cannot get worse, because then they will!" She snapped. Her kind were very suspicious when it came to such things, they hated to chance the fates. "You know what I am, Harper, yet you know so little about my beliefs do not chance the fates!"  
  
Realising that he touched a particularly sore nerve he just looked up at her with a smile. "Sorry. Is a guy expected to know everything?" He held his hands out again. She wondered why he kept showing her that he was innocent and defenceless. "I don't suppose you know where I could stay tonight? I can hack into the system tomorrow and find out whether Dylan and Co. got caught."  
  
Illithan knew of only one place to stay in the city, her own meagre dwelling and she suddenly recognised that she would not mind showing to him. "I know of only one place, my own home, you can stay there until morning."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Please leave a review, big thanks to my proof reader! 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
The cities streets were empty as Illithan led the way; the rain was coming down in waves soaking through his thin shirt in no time, the fluid bounced off Illithan's coat without seeming to taint its fabric. It was cold and the streetlights cast little light onto the streets, their glow making Illithan look ghostly and oddly angelic. She ducked into a building and he followed her inside, shaking excess water from his hair that was now plastered to his forehead, dangling into his eyes. They ascended three flights of stairs before she twisted the key into a lock and pushed open a door, she entered first and then he shut the door behind them both, it locked shut as it closed.  
  
"There is a bath room through there, a friend left some clothing here when last he stayed, I believe it will fit you."  
  
"Thanks,"  
  
He entered the bathroom and stripped out of his wet clothing, Illithan stuck her head around the door just before he stripped off his trousers, "A towel, please place your wet clothes over the radiator." He nodded slightly and she left. He dried his body before slipping into the clothing he had been giving, rubbing down his hair as he looked around the bathroom, it was tidy and yet run down, rust corrupted the edge of the bath and the shower looked like a relic. He entered the main living space to find Illithan standing with her back to him, she was changing her shirt and he noticed that she wore a plain bra entirely by accident.  
  
The main living space was simple, consisting of a sofa, an armchair and a plain kitchenette, a mirror hung on the wall near the door and a computer port was close to it. The rug on the floor was ornate, decorated with a black dragon. "I'm done now thanks," He said simply, she started slightly and turned to him without a shirt on. He averted his eyes with difficulty, and she covered up, hiding her form from him. "Sorry ma'am."  
  
She bit back a chuckle, "Ma'am? No, my name is Illithan."  
  
"It's a nice name,"  
  
"Nice?" She hated the word, it seemed like a patronising word one used by unimaginative teachers and those thinking something else; the application of such a word to her name seemed insulting.  
  
"Strong,"  
  
She bit back another laugh, looking at him, he looked tired and wet, "So, Seamus, would you like some food?" She moved to the kitchenette, he watched her from where he was standing, "Please sit," She offered motioning the sofa and he did so.  
  
"I am hungry," he admitted. "But I thought Shalench only drank blood."  
  
"Yes, you are thinking of the Shalench not of my kin."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
His questioning sound made her look to him, for a moment their eyes locked and Harper found himself drawn into the murky brown depths, wanting to know more about the beautiful woman before him. "I thought you were smart, perhaps I should have allowed my foe to capture you." He looked shocked and she waved a hand slightly to show that she was teasing him. "My kin are not Shalench, you hold the common off world view of our whole planet being one kind, we are not, I cannot tell you much more but suffice to say I do not drink blood."  
  
She turned her back to him, looking into the fridge and began to make something to eat as he sat looking about the room. "So Illithan, what brings you to this hell hole of a world anyway? I mean isn't your world supposed to be a utopia?"  
  
"I am here because this is where I must be."  
  
"You're as cryptic as Rev,"  
  
She moved to where he was seated and handed him a plate, "Who is Rev?" She asked as she folded herself into the armchair, looking smaller then he had seen her before and more defenceless.  
  
Harper watched the woman for a while; to him she seemed almost perfect, if not lacking a little personality. "He's the crew's psyc, a Magog priest, a Wayist, a counsellor." She looked a little baffled and so he decided to press on, "He's not like the other Magog, he's like a vampire with a soul or something, he feels for the things he's done."  
  
"A Magog with a sense of remorse? Never in all my years have I heard such a thing,"  
  
This posed an interesting question to the human, how old was the seemingly young woman before him? Her kind aged so slowly as to be immortal to the guesses of the out side worlds. "And you trust him? A creature like those who infested you?"  
  
He turned to her again, it was his turn to look a little baffled, he shrugged, "Yeah, I mean it's Rev." His explanation was feeble and it did not satisfy Illithan yet she let it go, not questioning him. "So, what about you? Why did you take me in? Unless you're in the habit of picking up fiendishly attractive male engineers."  
  
She looked up from her meal, considering his question as she looked into his face; he was attractive but he was not all that striking, if he were in a crowd of men she doubted it would be him she would choose. Yet, he was here, in her room, something only one other had shared before. "You had to stay somewhere," She settled on finally, yet it did not convince her.  
  
"Yah, thanks,"  
  
She allowed a rare smile to crease her lips, "Stop thanking me," She insisted. She stood and placed her plate back in the kitchen space. "I will show you where you are to sleep; we can go about finding your friends when we wake. I will sleep out here on the couch as I still have some work out here to conclude." She led him through to her room.  
  
The space was devoid of personal effects, a plain bed took the rooms centre with a cabinet to one side, her clothing was hidden in a walk in wardrobe but it looked more like a military accommodation then a girl's room. "A little sparse but a bed no less, sleep well." She left him standing there closing the door behind herself as she left.  
  
When she was certain he was sleeping, she moved to the computer terminal, it activated as she approached it and another of her kind appeared. "I just caught your little episode," He sneered coldly, "Cease in these acts and I will spare your life." She just looked at him, used to the claims on her life.  
  
"That which you would spare all ready, you would give me to cease?"  
  
He growled slightly, unlike her he was of the Shalench, a bloody thirsty mercenary. "I spare your life because of what you hold and for no other reason. The code of honour means nothing to a Shalench, surely you know that Illithan?"  
  
She cut the link before sinking into the armchair, she hated the arrogant male more then she hated living on this world and yet she stayed, waiting for a way out, for a way to get away, for an easy way home. She curled to sleep, her head rested on the chairs side and she slipped from the conscious world.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Please R and R! 


	3. Chapter 3

Harper woke the next morning to find that it still rained, the sounds of it lashing against the window had been unnoticed as he slept and yet now it seemed like each drop was an individual thunderclap. Someone moved outside, shutting a door that he heard through the walls. "I know you are awake," Illithan's voice carried to him and he smiled, glad that the events of the night before were not a dream. "I have the computer active now; you can come and check for your friends." He was up very quickly, changing rapidly back into his own clothing that had been lying on the table by his bed, was into the main room in a few seconds and soon standing besides her. "I should warn you that there are several blocks for hackers on the system."  
  
"If I get fried, I get fried,"  
  
Illithan shook her head slightly, disbelieving his lack of concern, with a practised precision he connected a cable to the system, plugging the other end into the port on his neck. He was silent for a while, before pulling the cable out again, "A Molovan has them," Illithan pursed her lips, paling slightly but noticeably. "Who's he?"  
  
"Molovan is . was a mercenary Shalench, he is now one of the leaders of this world, using his brutal sense to control people. If he has your friends then there is little hope for them, what were you doing that had them chasing you?"  
  
He looked to her face, just noticing how pale she was, "Oh you know, the usual, a little pick pocketing," He shrugged and his voice sounded unconcerned, pulled an important looking file from his trouser pocket. Illithan's eyes widened as she recognised it as an important official document, if her eyes were not deceived then it was an arrest file for an important member of society, signed by Molovan. "Then this guy started on me, getting all mouthy, I seem to draw those sorts, Dylan pulled him back and the guy hit him, Beka hit him back, there was a big fight."  
  
Thoughtfully Illithan tapped her nails on a nearby unit, her eyes unfocused; Harper's friends had somehow managed to cross one of Molovan's personal guards by the sound of it. "Your friends are lost; if Molovan has them there is no way for you to help them."  
  
"No way, I've done this sorta thing before, jail breaking isn't hard."  
  
"You have never broken Molovan's jail," Illithan snapped slightly. Harper pulled away from her, his eyes slightly scared, she took a few breaths in trying to calm herself down again. "I did not mean to be short with you, only one person has escaped before and they will not repeat the act."  
  
"So it is possible?"  
  
"Only if Molovan wants you to escape, he often has plans of his own, some of which are not understood until it is too late."  
  
"Where does this person live? Do you know him?"  
  
He turned to face her, noticing the pain to her eyes and the gaunt look to her face, realising far too late who had escaped before. "You could say I know her, I am her." 


	4. Chapter 4

He spent a few moments in dazed shock, looking to her with a sympathetic smile, 'What happened to you? Why did he hold you in the first place?' He found himself thinking rather then saying, she closed her eyes, pushing the pictures outwards, whilst most of her kind could only read thoughts Illithan could also push the pictures outwards. With a quick breath in, Harper found himself witnessing her memories;  
  
~-~-~  
  
Watching, always watching; Illithan turned her eyes to the corner camera, knowing that it was not the only one. "Which area are you from?" The cold, blood-curdling voice drawled from the speaker by the door, she turned to the voice but could not see the source.  
  
"That concerns you not,"  
  
"No, it does not,"  
  
Someone entered the room but she was powerless, kept still by the restraints that held her to the bed, the male before her was attractive in an evil way. The cold darkness to his voice was carried to his appearance, his eyes were pale blue and his hair was dark turquoise, he scared her somehow, clearly a Shalench. "Which clan are you of?"  
  
"Not yours,"  
  
A laugh passed his lips, a cold laugh that made her blood freeze in her veins; it rang in her ears like the tinkling of rain. "Which is better then you have imagined; you should have lied." He moved closer to her, and she felt his strangely cold breath on her cheek. "What do you know of the Shalench? Would you share that with me?" She shook her head defiantly, unafraid of her own death that was sure to approach. "No? Then I shall tell you, Shalench need heirs, these heirs continue the blood, securing the strength of a family. Yet, if you were to mix such blood with an off world species it would corrupt and kill both parent and child."  
  
"Then, you appear and provide me with the answer; an heir I need and another of my world I have."  
  
Fear corrupted Illithan's features as she looked at him, did he mean to have her? "No, nothing quite as brutal," He chuckled at the irony and the coldness froze her heart. "My scientists have the sample prepared for insemination; they just need the host to implant it in." A cold whistle past his lips and a hunched man entered, scars lined the man's bare back as he became visible. "Sedate her; do my will and then leave." Molovan turned and exited without a backwards look, his guards closing the door behind him.  
  
~-~-~  
  
An uncomfortable silence filled the air, Harper looked anywhere but at Illithan and she was content in looking at the floor. Nothing seemed the right thing to say, no words sprang into his usually chatty mouth. "He let me escape and since then I have gone out of my way to do things I know would challenge him, annoy him to make up for what he did."  
  
"Can't you just get rid of it?"  
  
She shook her head, "No, it is much like your Magog, an infestation, now it is there I cannot change it." He smiled at her slightly, looking into her eyes for a long moment. 'At least you have a chance to survive,' He thought to her and she tried to smile back but could not quite manage it. 'I'm just surviving now, a lucky break and some considerate friends at best.' "Molovan holds one who helped you?"  
  
"Yah, Trance is incredible when it comes to these things."  
  
"What about this Rev you spoke of?"  
  
"He's off trying to convert people,"  
  
The two locked eyes again, "I have to free them," Harper said after a time. "Dylan's going to destroy the world ship, they're going to cure me and life will be better." She knew he did not entirely believe what he was saying but something in his words held truth. "Why didn't you just leave here?"  
  
Illithan found her eyes going back to his; usually she avoided eye contact with people, hating the direct link into thought and brain. "I cannot, not yet, Molovan will not allow me to leave - he wants his heir first." She could feel what he was thinking, the planning he was doing so rapidly. "You would have me come with you?"  
  
He dropped his eyes from hers just before she spoke; he had known she knew what he was thinking. "Yah, if you wanted to come," He said offhandedly. His brain was working through everything, "I don't suppose you'd know where I could get a prison map from, a guess would do, I'd find the things myself."  
  
"No, there are none to my knowledge."  
  
Harper walked back to the panel and plugged himself into the network of the planet; he sat with his eyes closed thoughtfully as he walked through the cyber pathways. "Bingo," He whispered with a smile, suddenly he fell backwards, his hands going spasmodically to his neck plug; with a viscous yank, he pulled out the cable. One hand stayed at his neck as the other searched about his neck for the medication given him by Rev and Trance, Illithan knew that this time he was right and dropped to his side visually searching for the inhaler. He rolled onto his side, panting slightly, coughing due to the panting, Illithan left his side to search the bedroom.  
  
She found it lying on the bedside cabinet, she snatched it up and run back through to him; she dropped to his side again and held the device to his lips. He drew quickly from it, lying still on his side for a few moments before sitting up, his head rested on his up raised knees. Sensibly, Illithan poured him a glass of cold water and handed it to him, all too aware of the tears staining his cheeks. Nothing was said as Harper brushed aside the droplets and regained his loose composure. 


	5. Chapter 5

The sketched map lay on the table, Harper and Illithan had poured over it for a while before Illithan had left on her usual nightly task. He sat alone, his eyes unfocused on the map, trying desperately to think what Dylan would do. 'Not embarrassing himself would be number one,' He growled to himself mentally, he could not forgive himself for being such a wimp in front of Illithan, especially seeing as she had troubles of her own. "You did not embarrass yourself," The voice in the doorframe made him look that way, Illithan stood just inside the closed door. "I am not shallow enough as to think that was your fault, you found one of Molovan's blocks, nothing more."  
  
"Yeah, well, you think I'd know better by now. It wasn't even a complex one!"  
  
She sat besides him, "We all fall for the simple tricks every once in a while,"  
  
"Sure, whatever; I was an idiot, I leapt in and didn't think first!"  
  
"We all do these things," She snapped slightly and Harped was starting to see that she had a slight temper, one that surfaced when she knew she was right. "Do not beat yourself up over things, especially those things which cannot be changed!"  
  
A pause filled the air and he heard Illithan remove her coat rather then saw her do it, she moved to the armchair and relaxed into it. "Who is Dylan? And Rommie? And Beka?" She questioned, wanting to hear him speak again, the silence now seemed unnatural.  
  
He kept his eyes on the map, not quite ready to lock eyes with her again. "Dylan's the captain of the Andromeda, he's brave and I guess I want to be like him on some level," He admitted to her something he had never done before. "Rommie is the Android form of the Andromeda, a very attractive woman. Beka's the captain of the Eureka Moru, my old captain."  
  
"What do you do?"  
  
"I'm the engineer, sorta,"  
  
"And Trance is the medic, Rev the counsellor,"  
  
"Yep and then there's Tyr," She looked at him as he continued in the explanations and he smiled slightly, "No ones sure what Tyr's really up too but he's the mercenary, he does most of the killing." He looked to the map again, "I wonder where he is? If he's still on the Andromeda then I could call him down to think."  
  
Illithan smiled again, she had read his mind deeper to find out about Tyr, and had known that he was a mercenary but did not want to make Harper feel stupid by saying it aloud. "Would he come if you asked?" When she questioned him, he shrugged, before slumping his shoulders, 'Probably not' he thought to her directly. "But one path closed - what of the Magog?"  
  
"I don't know where he went,"  
  
She started to drum her fingers thoughtfully again, her eyes closed as she thought. "It is late," She said at length, opening her eyes to find him thinking too. "We should wait until morning and think again, Molovan will wait a few more days before he kills your companions. We have some time, sleep on the issue and it will seem easier."  
  
Desperation filled his eyes as he looked to her, he could not stand by and let his friends die. "What will it take for me to assure you?" She queried, "Molovan likes tradition and he is drawn to this world's fascination with it. No one is killed publicly during workdays the weekend must fall."  
  
"Wait a sec, what are you talking about? Killing publicly?"  
  
She felt his revulsion deeply; she too had been shocked by the world's brutality when she had first arrived yet now she knew it. "This world thrives on knowing people die, they love to watch as the innocent and condemned beg for their lives. It is weird and harrowing, to watch these people killed for so little as being in the wrong place."  
  
"That's barbaric,"  
  
"No, that is civilisation,"  
  
"That's deep,"  
  
She bowed her head slightly before looking up with a smile, "Sorry, it is part of my clan's way." 'Go on,' His mind prompted and Illithan thought for a moment, her mind running through things, she had never told any off- worlder of her clan. "We oft fight for justice, yet on our world we fight the Shalench, holding them back from the others on our world. We also think on many things, we have the years in which to do so."  
  
Harper yawned slightly, out of weariness rather then boredom; a smile lingered once again on Illithan's face and Harper smiled back. "I'd better turn in," He stood and stretched slightly, his arms held above his head for a moment. Realisation dawned on his face and he looked into her eyes, "It's your place, you take the bed, I'll kip out here."  
  
"No, I insist, I am comfortable,"  
  
"It doesn't seem right for me to sleep in there,"  
  
Illithan stood and moved to his side, she was so close that he could feel her breath on his cheek; a gentle sigh heated his cheek further and she smiled at him. "Go to bed Seamus, you need the rest more then I do," She pushed him that way and he moved in that direction. 


	6. Chapter 6

When he entered the living space the next morning, Harper found Illithan was still sleeping; her purple hair was only slightly mussed as if she had slept in the same way for a long time. Her eyelids flickered with dreams and he moved from where he had stood looking at her to the table, where he sat with the plan. Molovan's jail was fully computerised, and Harper knew that being so was a big flaw on some level this made him wonder just why. "Computerisation is new to this world, Shalench are not renowned for their technical ability; you may have found a way." The sleepy voice to his side drew his gaze and a sleepy eyed Illithan greeted him, he smiled at her slightly.  
  
"So, what? Molovan doesn't know how weak his system is?"  
  
"I do not believe so, the blocks on his system were installed by someone foreign to this world but Molovan is slow to trust, the blocks creator was executed a few days after its implication."  
  
"Nice," He intoned cynically, his eyes going to the port by her mirror. "Could I do the hack from here?"  
  
"No, as much as he can not understand technology and as much as this whole world is behind in technological advancement, the operation of a trace is simple."  
  
"So, I guess we're on our way up to the Andromeda then?"  
  
"You want to take me?"  
  
A slow smile toyed up his face, "I've been thinking," She made a shocked expression and he looked a little put out until she smiled slightly. "I could take you up to the Andromeda on the Maru, leave you up there and come back for the others; the Maru's allowed to come and go, and they don't check DNA or anything so I don't see any issues with that." He shrugged and she nodded there were no flaws to his logic for sure. "What you're going to come with?"  
  
"I want to leave now; I have been on this world quite long enough."  
  
"Right, we leave first thing then!"  
  
~*~*~  
  
When the two arrived on the Andromeda's command deck they were greeted by a highly distressed looking holo, "Harper, where have you been? I've been trying to contact Dylan but I didn't get any response." She told him, Illithan lingered in the door, not really wanting to be seen. "And why have you brought a Shalench on board?"  
  
Harper motioned for Illithan to enter and she did so, "Rommie this is Illithan, a very cool chick who saved my ass." He introduced pluckily, the hologram folded her arms across her chest and looked sceptical. "She's helped me to work out how to bust Dylan and the others out."  
  
"Out of where?"  
  
"Molovan's jail,"  
  
Illithan spoke up from where she had come to stand by Harper's side, her involvement in the strength of the words being nominal, she knew that Harper needed to be quick. "Molovan's a big bad Rommie, the only way I can think to get them out is to do a hack of his under par security system. The outer system has some nasty's but it's not that hard." Another sceptical look crossed her face, and Harper smiled, "I've hacked worse, all we have to do is get them out of there quick enough, that I will leave in your more then capable hands."  
  
Illithan looked at the ships hologram for a long moment, her eyes lingering on the AI's face, "And what about your new friend? Is she staying?" The visage turned to Illithan who looked away, her eyes going around the ships command deck quickly.  
  
"We've just got to slip stream her to her planet,"  
  
The ships visage seemed about to say something more but Harper had all ready connected himself into Molovan's jail circuits. Illithan stood silently, looking much like a statue, her hands held by her sides as she just watched him. The hologram kept an eye on what the engineer was doing, making sure on some level that he was safe.  
  
~*~*~  
  
An hour or so later, Harper opened his eyes and smiled slightly, "The genius does it again." He claimed with a smile, "They're making their way to the dock; I've down loaded some of Molovan's security details into your data banks so you should be able to keep them away from the patrols." He stood slowly and ran a hand through his short hair. "I'd better get down there so that I can pick them up,"  
  
"I will accompany you,"  
  
"No, stay here, if Molovan's goons are following the others they'll recognise you on sight, I won't be gone long," He winked at her and smiled, "Try not to miss me too much," He left command and Illithan watched him leave, she shook her head slightly.  
  
"Shalench, mercenary species, slightly vampric in almost every way,"  
  
It took the tall woman a while to realise that it was the hologram speaking, she turned to face the ships avatar with a controlled look on her face. "Most people prefer there warships silent," She commented back, glad to note the look of chagrin on the AI's face. "Do your data banks not explain about my kind?" Rommie looked a little blank, "What else is there beyond that?"  
  
"Deadly, silent, can teleport over short distances in the blink of an eye, often hired as assassins."  
  
"I cannot explain again, maybe Harper will explain after I have left."  
  
~*~*~  
  
Trance was the first to board the Maru and Harper greeted her with a smile, the others joined them shortly and Beca insisted on Piloting the ship on the return journey. "Molovan's been alerted that we've left," Rommie said as the ship took off. "Defence systems are locked on,"  
  
"It's going to be a bumpy trip," Beca concluded, her eyes on the route ahead. Her concentration locked on the route ahead of herself and on keeping them all alive. The weapons gazed the Maru's hull, bumping those within about like an old Navy crew at sea in a storm. Harper gripped at the rail with all his strength, trying not to think on how close the shots were to his actual self.  
  
"They're breaking off; we're out of their range,"  
  
The air seemed to heave as they all relaxed, Dylan turned towards Harper who was mid breath with a half smile, "We owe you one,"  
  
"As much as I would love to take the glory for that superb rescue I can't," He admitted. "I did the hack but Illithan gave me the idea," Dylan looked questioningly at his engineer. "She's back on the ship, I told her we'd give her a lift, figured we owe her that much for saving us."  
  
~*~*~ 


	7. Chapter 7

Dylan did not meet with Illithan strait away, he and Rommie went to change into clean clothes, and Harper showed Illithan into a temporary room. "It's not that great but you brought that rug with you so it'll be more like home for you." Illithan had been insistent on bringing the ornate rug with her, as if it were the one true reminder of her past. "Trance wanted to know if you wanted something else to wear, she noticed that your trousers were ripped at the base."  
  
Her eyes drifted down to her own leg, drawing the coat up slightly so she could look at the plain trousers; the leg was ripped to about her knee. "Maybe that would be wise," She followed him to where Trance was.  
  
"I'll leave you two girls alone, I've got to go sort something out that undoubtedly keeps the ship going, I'll find you later,"  
  
Trance smiled brightly at Illithan, who just managed a small smile back; inside she feared the habit, she was getting into smiling so much. "I'm Trance," The purple girl introduced with a wide smile, shaking her hand in a surprisingly strong grip. "I thought you'd like to find some more trousers,"  
  
"Yes, thank you,"  
  
~*~*~  
  
Dylan stood waiting in the room set aside for negotiation on the ship; Trance had just sent a message through to him saying that Illithan would be there shortly; with all that Rommie had told him about the Shalench as a race he had been sure to bring a force lance. "You will have to forgive my lateness captain Hunt," A level voice said from the door and Dylan turned to face the woman. She wore exactly what she had when Harper had first been saved, the only change being her trousers; her coat looked immaculate and shimmered slightly in the bright lights. "My kind hold little recognition of time, especially when it is spent in the company of one such as Trance."  
  
"No apology need be made,"  
  
"I realise that what Harper promised me is not his to give and the travel to my world is not easy, if you cannot take me there then would you drop me back on the planet?"  
  
Dylan found his eyes going to hers, pausing for a moment; there was an incredible sorrow to the oriental brown eyes that he had missed initially. "How far is your planet?" Dylan questioned, wondering if he could get her kind to join the commonwealth.  
  
A sweeping bow was granted him, almost as if she had read his thoughts, "Oh, that would be because I have Captain; but that is beside the current point. My kind cannot join your commonwealth, the Magog and the Shalench are equally scared of one another, and they are not our problem. We are also not a kind who appreciates space flight; we would serve your commonwealth little purpose."  
  
Dylan looked at the android version of his ship, she stood immobile just off to one side he made a silent gesture of confusion and she shrugged barely visibly. "I thought your kind were the Shalench," He admitted and a small smile played up her features.  
  
"The Shalench and my kind are, to off worlders, one and the same." She confessed honestly, her hands linking on the tabletop in front of her. "The Shalench are, for want of a better term, the bad side of our kind; the parts of us which become hidden over time in my kind. Long ago the two founding leaders of my world chose their sides, since that time there have been changes in the clans and my particular clan was trusted with guarding others from the Shalench."  
  
The two looked a little baffled but Illithan would not go on, her eyes went to Dylan's and he felt compelled to take her home. "I realise that I have little to offer you, but I know Harper feels we have something to offer him." She told him simply, "He feels that a kind as long lived as my own can cure him, we cannot." She looked sorry for this, as if she cared for the young engineer somehow, her eyes drifted from Dylan's as she fought to think of what to say. "Even if I leave this world, another will be sent in my place, Molovan will not trouble these people any more."  
  
"Why was he here in the first place?"  
  
"I cannot tell you, I am not of power enough to do so,"  
  
"Even if telling me would send you home,"  
  
Her eyes shot quickly to his, "Even if," She said simply. Her body held a suddenly proud stature and she stood, "I believe this session is over, you will need time to think things over, unless you want to tell me no now?" Her question drew a shake of his head, "In which case I shall be looking for Harper, I have something he must hear." She left, her heel less shoes making clicking sounds on the deck as she walked.  
  
Rommie moved closer to Dylan, her presence was a comfort to him on some level, "What do you think Rommie?" He queried without turning to her. The android stood silent for a time, weighing over the things in her mind for a time.  
  
"I don't know,"  
  
He turned to her, a questioning look on his face; it was rare for her not to have any opinion. "Harper trusts her enough to bring her here, but then again he did say she saved his life; I suppose he feels he owes her that." Dylan concluded aloud, "She seems genuine enough,"  
  
"We could always restrain her if she were a problem,"  
  
Dylan nodded thoughtfully, "I think I'll sleep on it, make sure you keep an eye on her." He left the room too and headed to his private quarters.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Harper whistled to himself, slicing some cables and reconnecting them elsewhere moment later; music played over a speaker near him as he worked. The door opened and instinctively he turned to it, still ill at ease when alone in the engineering part of the ship; he breathed a visible sigh of relief when he saw that it was Illithan. "How'd things go with Dylan?"  
  
"I do not yet know,"  
  
"Fair enough,"  
  
He settled back into his work with hummed lines and easy manner. "You spend a lot of time here?" She questioned and he pushed the answer to her mentally, 'yeah, I'm wherever I need be,' She chuckled slightly. "Wherever you need be? As when you were being chased,"  
  
"That was dumb, and followed by better dumb luck, I don't know what would have happened if you weren't there."  
  
"I will save you the visual,"  
  
He looked to her with a great big smile, his eyes filled with the very same smile that showed on his lips, "So, Illithan, what do you think of the Andromeda?" He questioned her, his back to her as he worked on an open conduit.  
  
"She seems to feel she knows a lot more then she does,"  
  
Harper chuckled at the thinly veiled insult, he had not heard Illithan insult anyone save Molovan and yet hearing her speak about the Andromeda made him laugh. "It's a warship thing," He told her simply, "New things scare her on some level and she either shoots them or tries to classify them."  
  
"Then I am lucky I am not dead,"  
  
"It was certainly lucky for me that I met you,"  
  
He fell silent again and she stood nearby, unsure of what she could do. The door hissed and someone entered behind her, her ears twitched as the being behind her sniffed; with a whirling motion, she turned and faced the Magog. "A Shalench," The being commented and Harper was soon standing between the two, clearly unconcerned by either.  
  
Looking between the two beings, Harper could see how tense they both were, he adopted a slightly worried smile; "Not exactly." Rev Bem looked baffled and Illithan stood alert, her ears twitching for the sounds that most beings could not hear. "Rev this is Illithan, Illithan this is Rev Bem, I told you about him."  
  
The tension on his left hand side dropped as Illithan relaxed, standing quite normally again, "My apologies, I feared he was another of his kin. An unfair judgement for one such as myself to make but one I hope he understands is justified." She bowed slightly to the priest who still seemed slightly bothered.  
  
Harper lent against a nearby panel and drew on his medicine, drawing both their gazes; it was the priest's eyes that unnerved him the most and he shrugged slightly, trying to turn the burning gaze away. "I'm ok, just a little twitchy,"  
  
"It was quite amazing that even a temporary cure could be found,"  
  
Rev's eyes drifted back to Illithan, he bowed to her slightly as he realising that she was not a threat. "It is not a cure as such, it halts the larvae's growth," He told her simply.  
  
"Even that is an accomplishment,"  
  
"Uh . guys, as much as I'm enjoying this trip into the one thing that's keeping me alive it's making me a little queasy."  
  
Illithan smiled slightly, Harper had the tendency to draw that response from her. "Then this is not the time to be informing you how close you came to death," She told him with the hint of a tease to her voice. He shook his head, but stayed silent as if he were thinking of it himself. "If these things happen to you often then it is a great surprise that you are still alive."  
  
He looked her in the face for a moment before recognising that she was teasing him, "Did you want something Rev?" Harper asked of the Magog, "Or is it that you're checking I'm still breathing?" The comment was meant as a jest but the mood in the room took a sombre drop. The Wayist lowered his furry head and Illithan lowered hers too, Harper gritted his teeth and tried to think of something to say, something that would cheer everyone up again but his 'joke' had a rather harrowing edge to it.  
  
Illithan was the first to raise her head; her silky ears had heard the grumble from her own stomach as it complained its hunger. "Harper, I do not mean to be a trouble but I grow hungry," She said as simply as she could, the engineer looked to her face. "Would you be kind enough to show me to your mess bay?"  
  
"Sure thing," 


	8. Chapter 8

Illithan slept well that night, the ship was more relaxed then her home despite the fact that it smelt of Magog she could have sworn she were on her home world when she closed her eyes. Someone knocked lightly on the door and her mind reached out to the persons outside, the thoughts were a flurry of conflicting arguments, logical decisions and sensible ponderings. "The door is open," She offered simply, pulling the sheets up to her neck.  
  
Dylan Hunt entered, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood a little way from her; "I have considered you request," He told her and she nodded, knowing that this was why he was there to see her. "If your kind knows anything about repelling the Magog then it would be of great use to the commonwealth to visit your world." She nodded again, glad of his logical mind; "Rommie is ready to input the data when you are."  
  
"Thank you Captain Hunt, I can assure you that my kind will appreciate this,"  
  
With a slight bow of his head, Dylan left and she laid back, a smile of genuine delight on her features. She had missed her home when she had been away and the one small rug had been nothing but a painful reminder that it was so far away and yet now she would be going back there, after so many long, hard years.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Illithan stood besides Captain Hunt on the command deck of his ship as they were waiting for the order to connect to the planet; her coat was open but still hugged close to her form. "Mr. Harper, place the call," Harper ran up the sequence he needed and nodded. "I am Captain Hunt of the 'Andromeda Ascendant,'"  
  
An elder member of Illithan race greeted them with a stony expression, "We know who you are Captain Hunt." He seemed impatient, turning his gaze to Illithan; she bowed her head to him. "Illithan," His voice suddenly relaxed and a look of recognition lightened his features; unlike Illithan, marks marred his forehead, almost like two triangles across his face that stopped at the top edge of his eyebrows. "It warms my heart to see you returned to us,"  
  
Illithan offered a gracious bow, her eyes going to the male on screen, "Counsellor Yalish, it is good to be able to at least see the world I left so long ago." She told him honestly, "I hope to find my mother and tell her the things I have found."  
  
"She will be glad to see you again; I will send one of the fleet to collect you at once,"  
  
Decisively she took a step forwards, "If I could be so bold as to claim it sir, I would like to show the crew our home." There was a pause, Illithan nodded making it clear that he had spoken into her mind, "Thank you sir, you are most kind. We will make our journey soon." The viewer cut and Illithan turned to Dylan with an odd expression on her face. "He will have four of your crew there,"  
  
"Did he specify who?"  
  
"Anyone, save Tyr, we are no fans of mercenaries,"  
  
Harper looked hopefully towards Illithan and she turned back to Dylan, "But Harper must come, not by order but by my choice." Harper was thinking very glad thoughts from behind her and she could feel his happiness.  
  
"Then I will leave it to you to choose,"  
  
He allowed her to leave and she did so, aware that Harper was following her, "Thanks," He said softly. She stopped in place and turned to face him; he smiled slightly and shrugged. Her eyes drifted to his and he bowed to her. "I really owe you one now."  
  
She sighed, her eyes dropping away from his enthusiastic blue gaze; he seemed to notice her considerable lack of happiness and leant against the wall. "Harper, I know your mind, you would hunt down an answer on my world, and it scars me deeply to tell you that there is not one there to be had." The mental backlash to his pain was huge; the thoughts keeping his limited sanity from leaving him were doing just that. She touched her forehead and looked towards the defeated engineer, now slumped against the wall. "Harper, I would give you anything to see you live through this but there is nothing I or any one on my world can do."  
  
He started to walk away from her and her mind picked up his thoughts as he did so, he blamed her for giving him false hope, he had also given up even trying to keep himself together. Illithan followed him, which led them to his room, he did not seem to care that she had followed him in. Sitting defeated on his bed, he only just noticed her placing her arm around him. "Do not think that, I do not like the concept of giving you false hope."  
  
'Hell I shoulda figured that this would end this way, it's not as if I really thought it would go any other way.'  
  
His thoughts hit her hard and she lent into him, the strengthening of her all ready powerful ability was a shock. "Please stop," She insisted, her voice was pleading him to cease but Harper did not know what he was really doing.  
  
'Might as well just pack it all in now, what was the point anyway?'  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
Her shouted voice did make his thoughts stop; he had never heard her shout so loud. For the first time since they had met, Illithan broke into tears, her hands going to her eyes to hide her face; she was a strong being and had cried very few times in her life. "Illithan?" Harper questioned snapping out of his personal grief, afraid to put his arm around the crying woman he just moved closer to her. "Illithan, what's wrong?"  
  
She sniffed in, stemming her tears before they could get too out of control to be stopped, "It is you." She insisted softly and he felt baffled for a moment. "It hurts me to see you despair," she admitted to him. "In the past, I have remained detached from those I saved but something made me allow you to come with me to my home that night."  
  
"Blame your hormones,"  
  
His bright comment made her chuckle ever so slightly, he smiled at her but there was very little heart to the smile. They sat silently, both considering their own inevitable situation; neither of their cases was less desperate. "I know of a scientist, a friend of mine, who can help you somehow." She offered, "He can improve the program that keeps your mind entertained when you sleep, make it different."  
  
He looked into her eyes, smiling in a more open way, "thanks," He offered. "I guess I got myself too worked up about a cure, you never told me that I could be cured." She bowed her head and he nodded slightly, "Yeah, sorry about that, I didn't think .. Well perhaps the point is that I thought far too hard. So I'm sorry ok?"  
  
"You owe me no apology; it is enough that you trust me."  
  
"Trust you? You saved me, I think that's even."  
  
There was a pause; Harper asked her mentally whom she was going to take with her to the planet. "If you still wish to, then you can come." He nodded enthusiastically, "Then I have three places to fill. It would be impolite of me not to invite Dylan, I would like to have Rev come too but I doubt that is smart, Trance would be ideal."  
  
"Then you've filled all the places. Rev will be fine, you've vouched for him."  
  
"I daresay he would be fine in the citadel but outside ."  
  
"Don't be paranoid, he'll be fine." 


	9. Chapter 9

~*~*~  
  
Illithan led her four guests into the main citadel, the place was incredible; oriental and beautiful it seemed to mimic Illithan. They were asked to wait as she left to change, dressed inappropriately for a meeting with her leader. They had been waiting for over an hour, Harper was noticeably the most impatient, walking in circles and tapping his foot at times. "What is it with girls? They take so freaking long to change for anything!"  
  
Trance offered one of her small ambiguous smiles, not offering up an answer. "I am sorry to anger you so Harper," Illithan's voice drifted down a nearby staircase and they looked to her. Harper dropped into his seat from shock; the Illithan standing before them was radically different to the one Harper had met. Her hair was elaborately done and she was wearing a beautiful silken robe with a bow tied at her middle in a vaguely Japanese style; Harper, knowing of her condition could also see that her stomach bumped slightly but he ignored it to ogle again.  
  
'Oh Christ, uh ...'  
  
Illithan smiled simply at him, "Control yourself," She said earnestly making Dylan chuckle. She looked at him and smiled again. She turned back to Harper, her brown eyes highlighted by makeup, "Mr. Harper, if it does not insult Dylan would you kindly escort me? It is not right for a woman who has just returned home to enter the chamber alone if there is a man available. I have three to choose from, yet I doubt it would sit well if I entered on the arm of a Magog."  
  
"It's fine with me," Dylan told her honestly; with an elbow, he pushed Harper towards her and the engineer uncertainly held out his arm to Illithan. She held his arm with a certain grace to her mannerisms.  
  
They led the way into the counsel chamber and Harper was feeling as if things could only really get a tiny bit better; he had always wanted a beautiful woman on his arm and now he had one. "Announcing the prestigious daughter of Chairman Watalt, the defender of the planet Laylai, Illithan Milana," The herald announced from besides them as they entered.  
  
Illithan removed herself from Harper's arm, "Counsellor Yalish." She bowed deeply, "It is my great honour to introduce to you Captain Dylan Hunt of the Andromeda Ascendant and three of his crew." Yalish surveyed the four off worlder's and then looked to her; he seemed to be weighing them up. "I realise that I have broken one of the laws of our kind in inviting a Magog to our home but I will stand entirely accountable for anything that occurs."  
  
"I introduce to you now, Rev Bem, Trance Gemini and Seamus Harper,"  
  
Yalish spent a few moments looking between the four Andromeda crewmembers before turning his attention to Illithan again. "They are only a nominal concern now; as glad as I am to see you safe your return is an ill omen." Illithan lowered her head, shifting her gaze from his. "Why have you returned?"  
  
"I had too,"  
  
"You feel that because you are with child that you need be here?"  
  
Harper took a step forward, "Don't be stupid, it's not that!" He snapped slightly, this presumptuous male's assumption that Illithan was being a coward made him mad. "Molovan wants the kid, his heir, if she's here he can't get it now can he?" His tone was condescending and Illithan shut her eyes, bringing Harper was possibly a mistake.  
  
Yalish looked to him for a long moment, his powerful hazel eyes made the young man flinch away. "And who are you to assume to know of our codes?" This did not work in improving Harper's mood as he became angrier at each presumption.  
  
"Just struck me as common sense,"  
  
"Clearly you have very little, Seamus Harper,"  
  
"Yah, probably but I'm not the one your bitching at here!"  
  
Illithan looked towards Yalish and then towards Harper, she felt it was kind that he was trying to preserve her honour and integrity if not a little foolish. "Please sir, forgive him for his intrusion, I felt it best I return home to have the infant so that Molovan could not get hold of it. Raised here, with protection and teaching, it could grow to be like us and not like him."  
  
Yalish's eyes lingered once more with Harper's before going back to hers, "You have formed a connection with this Shalench spawn?" He questioned of her and she looked defiantly into his eyes, her ears flattening back onto her head like an angry cat.  
  
"No sir, I would like nothing more then to have the infant terminated but the law forbids it. If I am to be forced to have the infant anyway I would prefer it to be here then anywhere else."  
  
Yalish waved one hand casually; Illithan took three steps back before heading for the door; Harper, and the others followed her cautiously. Silence stayed with them as they walked down the corridors of the sweeping citadel. Finally, Illithan arrived at a door and kicked it open with her foot, "I am sorry that things went so badly in there, I thought that he would wait before questioning me alone."  
  
"I'm sorry if I made things worse for you,"  
  
Illithan turned to him and held his face in both hands, her forehead touching his for a moment before she gave him a completely unexpected hug. In her grasp, Harper turned bright pink, deeply embarrassed by her affection. "Harper, on a world where a kind can read your thoughts, do you not think that what goes on in your head is no secret?" This caught him and he spent a few minutes about it, 'I suppose so, so whatever I'm thinking, they know, whatever goes on in my head goes on in there's.' Illithan chuckled before he inflicted upon her an unattractive mental image that she physically shuddered away from, letting go of him. "Thank you Seamus," She said bitterly before moving to the bed. "I would prefer to change into something more appropriate before we tour the city; I will join you outside in a few moments."  
  
~*~*~  
  
When she rejoined them, Illithan had changed back into her previous clothing; her hair loose again and her manner slightly easier. She lead them from the great citadel building, from outside it looked rather like traditional Japanese grand buildings; she lead them further and further from the building, down side streets and alleys to a great wall. With the blessing of the guards they were allowed to climb the wall, what lay on the walls other side was little more then a moor, on the distant horizon they could see a beacon fire. "This wall marks the beginning of Shalench territory, it forms part of the planets pole and this wall encircles it."  
  
"They're prisoners?"  
  
Trance's comment drew her brown eyed gaze quickly, "Not entirely, they have their own cities within their territory and, as you have seen with Molovan, can leave this world." She turned her eyes to Rev Bem, "That is quite possible Rev, should your scent carry to the Shalench then we would know of it." The Magog looked stunned briefly; he had not known his thoughts were as open to her as the others were. Harper looked to Illithan, his face set in a look of confusion that was innocent. "The Shalench people are different to my kind in that they have a keener sense of smell; the scent of Magog is more poignant to them as they know the threat the Magog pose."  
  
In the distance, there was a mighty growl, which was answered from nearer to them. Harper shuddered as the sound was unpleasant and Illithan seemed to freeze. A guard moved to them and nodded to Illithan, "There is a Shalench near the wall, they recently managed to blow through to the city and a rouge male sometimes try to spill his first blood there. I will return shortly but I feel I must take care of this,"  
  
"We'll come with you, we can help,"  
  
"The offer is appreciated Captain Hunt it is harder too fight the Shalench then any other people."  
  
She was soon striding away from them; a sword and shield were given her too. "I guess normal weapons don't work." Harper offered simply from one side, Dylan watched Illithan and a few guards run from them towards a distant break in the wall, lights focused on this broken point despite the fact that it was the day.  
  
"It is not that they do not work," A guard nearby spoke up, his gaze still set on the broken wall, "It is that the Shalench have found a way to shield against other weaponry, close quarters combat is the only option left for us now."  
  
A siren rang out and the voice of a male carried over the previously silent day. "As of this moment, civilians are warned to stay away from the defensive wall in the Sokai province. No civilian is allowed near the wall in the Sokai province by order to Illithan Milana, any civilian breaking this law is accountable for their own actions, any death caused by action against this recommendation is not fault of the counsel."  
  
A sword clashed against a shield and a yell rang out over the sounds, Harper froze in place to listen. Dylan took three definite steps towards the fighting and Harper followed. "Excuse me, sir, what do you think you are doing?" The guard questioned somewhat dumbly, "Illithan told you to stay here!"  
  
Dylan seemed to ignore him, grabbing up a nearby sword and shield, "Sir, I cannot let you do this," The guard stood in front of him, he held a spear he had been holding close to Dylan's face. "I assure you that she knows what she is doing, Illithan was only sent after Molovan because she is an accomplished fighter." The human backed down dropping his sword and shield, "I have known her for sometime sir, and she will live out this battle."  
  
~*~*~ 


	10. Chapter 10

The battle against the rouge Shalench was longer then they had expected; Illithan sliced upwards with her blade, sending it through the beings left arm, feeling it hit the bone. Lunging at her it caught her side, driving through the protective armour, she yelped in pain and collapsed back; sadistically the Shalench licked the blood from his blade and she could do little more then glare at him. A soldier took her place, soon loosing his life on the end of its sword.

Her vision blurred into obscurity, everything seemed to a listless and dreamlike quality; she did not see the fall of the Shalench, nor the arrival of the medical team. She drifted into unconsciousness, feeling the gentle ebb of her own blood under her armour.

When she woke again, sometime later, she was aware of a nurse taking her pulse; she looked at her helper with a look of gentle surprise. "Another scar for the collection," The nurse mused thoughtfully, his hazel eyes locking with her brown ones. "I am not going to tell you that this is the worst one that you have had, but it comes close." She lowered her head back into the pillows and shifted slightly, her side propped on a cushion of some sort. "You have visitors; do you want me to show them in?"

Illithan nodded slightly, knowing that it was the Andromeda's party waiting outside, the nurse exited and the four entered. Harper was first to her side, "Are you all right?" He asked her, noticing the blood stained armour that lay to one side with a shocked expression. She followed his gaze to the armour stained by her own blood, she had seen the same sight so many times before that it did not affected her.

"I am not sure, I am alive and many people are known to use that as an indication into the issue of whether or not they are 'ok'."

"You nearly died,"

"Again,"

Harper's shocked gaze went to her face, and she reached the hand of her uninjured right side to his cheek in comfort for him. "In the past years of my life I have been injured a great many times, and driven off death roughly a quarter of those times, I have lived a long time Harper, the thought of death does not scare me. I cannot help but feel that when it does come it will be something of a relief." She let out a small chuckle and smiled at Harper.

He pushed himself away from her, his own hands pushing him away from her, "No," He stated in a clear voice, its sounds catching slightly. "How can you lay there and say that?"

"Because I cannot sit up,"

The attempt at humour was a desperate plea for him to understand, this view was her perspective and her opinion, it was the view of her kind and one she held very dear. "To my kind, when we have lived all these long years there is nothing left but death. We can see it as a release or as a final great adventure. I have had more then enough adventures within my life I do not need them in death as well."

"How old are you?"

"Harper!" Trance's voice snapped into the room sharply, she sounded more like his mother then his closest friend. "You never ask a lady her age," He knew this, but curiosity won out over loose manners; he found that he simply had to know.

Illithan looked towards Trance with an easy smile and Harper noted that she had smiled a lot more since they had arrived on the planet. "It is all right, within my kind it is considered impolite not to enquire a beings age when the hint has been made that they may not be as young as is assumed." She turned her head to face Harper directly, "I am one thousand, two Hundred and eighty five." Shock corrupted the faces of the two humans present and she looked directly into Harper's eyes. "With the hazards of child birth many females in my kind do not make it half of that age."

A moment of understanding lingered on Harper face as his mind replayed their earlier conversation;

She shook her head, "No, it is much like your Magog, an infestation, now it is there I cannot change it." He smiled at her slightly, looking into her eyes for a long moment. _'At least you have a chance to survive,'_ He thought to her and she tried to smile back but could not quite manage it. _'I'm just surviving now, a lucky break and some considerate friends at best.'_

Illithan caught his thoughts like an expert catching a butterfly, knowing that he was being foolish to assume that she was annoyed at him for not knowing then what he did now she pushed a kind comment outwards using her mind. "If you would like I can have someone I know complete your tour,"

She was submitted to each of their thoughts; Harper wanted to stay with her and talk, her age having peaked his curiosity even more; both Rev and Dylan wanted to explore the city more, more curious about the surroundings then in her and Trance was indifferent. "If it isn't too much trouble," Dylan started, "I personally would like to see more of the city,"

"I know,"


End file.
